Love and War
by Dancing Wolf 1223
Summary: Taking place during Shippuden. Lusa tried to connect the ties between one of her ANBU squad members, when the fourth shinobi war is starting, and has to fight alongside her friends and family to try to keep their bond strong. But, will the war break their ties? Or will it make them stronger and let them soar to new heights? T in later chapters.


_**Love and War**_

_**This is another chapter story I was writing during my free time, and I thought about putting it on the site. Gaara will be presented in chapter 3 or sooner, so I hope you guys like it, and on with the story.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Naruto, the only thing I own are my oc's and the making of this story.**_

…_**...**_

"Do you hear movement from the south, Lusa?" Shiro, one of my teammates asked as he moved to the top of a nearby tree branch. I looked around to see anything suspicious. My eyes scanned the area to see if I could find anything as I moved them slowly to the left, and then to the right.

"I do not Shiro. But, they could be using a jutsu as well," I announced as we continued to jump from branch to branch. Said shinobi gave me a nod as he proceeded alongside me; our feet making the branches bend from our weight. Suddenly, as Shiro and I continued to run, we were stopped by one of our other team members as we came to a screeching halt in front of her.

Her hair was black as the midnight sky, and was wavy on the sides and the back. She had emerald green eyes, and thin black eyebrows to match her hair. Rosy red lips took up the bottom part of her face, with short but lightly chubby cheeks. She had on a regular ANBU outfit, as a tiger mask was raised upward to reveal her face.

"What's the matter Minikota?" I asked normally with my arms crossed over my chest. My facial expression was as serious as an ox protecting her newborn calf from an oncoming predator, just like how I want to protect my team, and make sure that they get back to the village in one piece.

Minikota huffed like she had just run one hundred miles, and back again, but you could see the urgency with the way she ran over to Shiro and me.

"Yata, our other teammate….was attacked by a….rogue ninja…" Minikota huffed, as she tried to catch the breath that was so far non-existent. "You…know how he is….when someone tries to help him. He does everything…for himself." I rolled my eyes in frustration at what my only female team member had just mentioned.

"He can be such a dummy, don't you agree Minikota?" I asked, while keeping my eyes closed in concentration.

"Yes ma'am," questioned person answered as she nodded in agreement. I opened my eyes through my dog mask. "We need to find Yata!" Minikota stated while flailing her arms in the air. "Who knows what kind of mischief he had got himself into?!"

"I agree," I replied to her so that she knew someone else was on her side. I motioned them to follow me as I spoke again. "He can sometimes be as brainless as mouse that had just walked right inside the jaws of a rattlesnake," I commented as my team and I jumped through the trees again. My team was working alongside the Hidden Leaf's ANBU squad, but we split up a while ago, and we were only checking the perimeter of the forest for them before we would go back to their village. My team and I are from the Hidden Sand Village, so it took us a few days to get there. Now, we are going to be even later, because one of my teammates wanted to pick a fight with a guy who was way out of his league. If I wasn't this concerned for my team, I would've let Yata continue his brainless antics and forget about him. But, I'm not like that, even though I wish I was.

"I hope he hasn't got himself killed," Shiro exclaimed as he jumped from a nearby branch. Hearing this, I bent a branch backward and waited until he was right in front of me. I then let go of the branch as it swung back and smacked him square in the face.

"OUCH!" Shiro yelped as he held his newly sore nose. "Why did you do that?!" he barked, while giving a menacing glare.

"You're making me more worried!" I snapped, while I turned my head ninety degrees and growled fiercely at him. Shiro's eyes widened, as he mumbled something about me to take a chill pill. I overheard Minikota giggling beside me, as she kept her focus. Rolling my eyes, I looked downward to see if I could spot Yata, but to no avail, he was nowhere to be seen.

"He had to be here. This is the exact spot where I had left him to get help," Minikota explained, as she looked around to see if she could spot anything. Suddenly, as if by sure instinct, my Jinchuricki Ryu spoke up in my mind.

"_Man, you sure are having problems, aren't you?" _she laughed as I gave a deep growl as if to shut her up. But, it didn't seem to work for she gave a deep sigh. _"You appear to need some help, huh?"_ she asked absent-mindedly, as if she had no idea what was going on in my life.

"All right, could you please help me find Yata, Ryu?" I replied in my mind as my mind's voice sounded frustrated and agitated. She laughed slowly as she started to gain control of my body, as she started to move it in the right direction to my friend. Minikota and Shiro followed close behind me, or in this case Ryu. I was able to gain control of my head for a little bit of time, as I turned my head and saw the team huffing, as if they were completely out of breath. We have been running for fifteen minutes exactly, until I was able to finally regain control of my body. That was until I looked down, and saw Yata beside an old oak tree, not moving an inch. His appearance could make your heart drop.

He had cuts all over his body, and his eyes appeared to be closed as if he was sleeping. His orange hair was messy from the sweat that was covering his body, and had had some blood in his hair, which became crusted. The armor he wore he was torn, and was covered with blood stains. Miniko, Shiro, and I all gasped in total dismay.

My heart felt like it was beating a thousand beats per minute, as I jumped off the branch I was standing on, and began to sulk in front of Yata. "Are…you awake, Yata?" I whispered in his ear, as I moved my head slowly so that I'd be looking at his closed eyes. His shallow breathing was heard and I sighed in relief. At least he was going to be okay, for now.

"Is he going to be all right, Lusa?" Minikota whimpered as she and Shiro walked up to me. Shiro had on a worried expression as he gently put his hand on his teammate's torn knee. The cut was on Yata's leg was dripping blood, as Shiro's hand became stained with the dark red liquid that was keeping his hurt friend alive.

"He should be, Minikota,"I replied to her as I put my left hand on my knee. "I could heal the minor injuries with my chakra, but we need to get him back to the Leaf Village's hospital to be looked over for anything more serious." Both Shiro and Minikota gave me a quick nod, as they placed him so that he was lying down on his back. I called forth chakra into my hands as I placed them on the cuts that were inflicted upon my teammate. The whizzing sound of the chakra could be heard by me and my team, as to signal that the injuries were beginning to be less severe. Both of my team watched in shock and awe as Yata began to be healed from the pain and injuries.

After five minutes of non-stop healing, Yata was stable for the time being. I motioned Shiro toward me as he and I wrapped our arms around his to keep him upright. Minikota led the way as we began to jumo from branch to branch again.

"It was a good thing you knew how to heal, Lusa," Shiro exclaimed in a thankful manor, as he looked at me quickly, smiled, then looked ahead of him again.

Minikota shouted, "Yeah! Yata was surely lucky this time." I gave her a nod which she didn't see, but I knew she probably knew what I did.

After running for approximately thirty minutes or more, we finally made it to the hospital, as we bolted into the doors of the hospital and the doctors took Yata away for more treatment. We all waited in the waiting room as we didn't say a single word to each other for a few minutes. That was until Shiro opened his big mouth.

"Do you think he will be okay, Lusa?" Shiro worriedly asked as he put his hands together on his lap, and looked down in a depressed demeanor. Hearing this, Minikota twisted her body around for she was behind him, and gave Shiro a powerful thump to the head as he winced in pain. "OUCH!" mentioned person yelled as he grabbed the top of his now sore head. "What the heck was that for?!

"You sure are an idiot!" Minikota proclaimed, "He'll make it!" with those final words, she moved back into her regular position. She twisted her body back around so that she was back to back to the teammate that she had just told off.

"Could you two stop acting like a couple of five year olds, and start acting like acquaintances!" I snapped with my hands over my chest, while glaring without facing them. My voice and position was full of frustration as I snapped my head back to look at them.

They were both completely shocked by my outburst, and they had decided to stay absolutely quiet, so that they wouldn't stir up any other emotion that might come out of me. Suddenly, I saw the doctor that took Yata in as he stood right in front of me. I slowly got up from the bench, and made eye to eye contact with him.

"Hello doctor," I greeted as I bowed respectfully to him as I put my hands together, went down, then slowly came right back up while moving my hands apart. He gave me a smile, and then made the same gesture as I did only moments before as we looked at each other again. "Will Yata be alright?" I questioned with a raised eyebrow. He nodded.

"He'll be alright," he replied as my eyebrow went right back down from my questioning stance. "He just needs to stay here for a few days so that his leg and other injuries can properly heal." I nodded as he moved his hand for me to follow him. Yata and Minikota stayed in the waiting area, while I followed closely behind the doctor. He led me down a white tiled, and white walled hallway, while I glanced over to look at some of the patience. It just brought some tears to your eyes to think at someone in there might live, or just slowly fade away into pain and agony, never to leave that sorrowful room.

My thoughts were interrupted as the doctor stopped at a room, which the wooden door was cracked just slightly for you to peek inside.

"Your friend is in here," the doctor smiled, as he left me alone in the doorway. I watched as he quietly yet slowly walked down the hall, and turned as his body vanished into a different part of the facility. I moved the door more so that it was big enough for me to get through, as I shut the door behind, as the click of the door was heard, as it indicated that it was shut all the way. I looked around the room.

The walls were a light gray color, as a spiky potted plant was placed in the far right corner of the room. A small circular window was on the right window so that the patience can get some sun into the dark room.

I sat down on a small chair on the left of my ANBU member. He turned his head and put on an apologetic smile. I was anything but ready to forgive him, as my face became stern and harsh. The apologetic smile left his face as he tried to avoid any eye contact that was possible with me.

"I guess I may have over done it, huh?" he whispered, while keeping his eyes locked on the folded blanket at the end of his hospital bed.

"Only a lot," I growled while crossing my arms over my chest. He knew I was frustrated, and I was indeed just that. "You seriously don't get the word teamwork, do you? There's no I in team."

"Yes, Captain," he replied quietly as if expecting an apology for something he did.

"As punishment for your foolish antics, and until you can start treating your friends like a team, you'll be suspended for a month from our squad."

"What?!" he shouted, his voice now losing the quietness it once held, and now became more upset and frustrated. He gave me a glare to top it off. I walked over to the window, but still faced him.

"I'm sorry, Yata, but my mind's made up," I exclaimed, as I faced the glass window so that he could only see my back, and I could only see his reflection. I could easily see the way his head looked down in sadness and defeat.

"I am basically a solo person," he explained quietly, but loud enough for me to hear, "I sometimes can't really work on a team."

"Well," I spoke as I turned around to face him, "you went solo on Minikota, and you nearly got yourself killed because of your own foolish behavior. You need to be alongside a team Yata. Otherwise, you'll one day be killed, and be known as "_the foolish ninja who cared more about himself then his own squad_." Yata quickly opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it again and looked down in defeat. "You know I'm right. I won't have my own team killed because of you, and I will not let you be killed either. But, in only to prevent that, all of you need to work together!" I snapped as he turned his head so that he was looking straight at me, and gave a small but slow nod in understanding.

"Yes Captain," he replied as he looked ahead of him and lied back on the hospital bed.

"Very well," I exclaimed as I walked and stopped next to the door, and looked at him again. "In one month you'll be back on the team. Like I said, I'm expecting you to work along with them. He nodded as he turned his head to the left slightly, and closed his eyes to sleep. I opened the wooden door, and shut it behind me as I heard the click of the door. I continued to walk back to the waiting area as my sandals shifted along the tile floor. I could only think about Yata, and if he was going to keep his word, or, if the entire team will fall from his foolishness again. Only time would tell as I saw the main hallway to the waiting room, as I hung my head in sadness, and thought. "_Time will only tell_" rang out in my mind as I told myself again and again. I just pray that time hasn't stopped all together for my team, friends, family…, and for my boyfriend back home.

_**Sorry I stopped at this part, but I wanted to make it more suspenseful. So please leave your comments, and I hope you like it.**_


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